


Welcome Home

by mggislife2789



Category: Criminal Minds, Spencer Reid - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Foreign Exchange Student, Japan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-18 00:05:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9352469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry ;)





	

This past year had been hard. Nearly 7,000 miles sat between you. But studying abroad, particularly in Japan, had been one of your biggest dreams since your mother told you that Japan was filled with the cherry blossom trees you loved so much. Despite dating and falling in love with Spencer, when the opportunity came around, you couldn’t give it up, no matter how hard it was to put distance between you.

Thinking back on the year prior, when you originally told him you were going to go, he insisted that even though you’d have an entire world between you, he didn’t want to break things off. He loved you and you loved him - and he insisted that you could make it work.

So you went. Off to Japan, amidst the rich, technological advances of Tokyo to the quaint countryside. Japan was a mix of traditional and modern that you loved. The program you’d signed up with had you staying with a family that spoke English as well as Japanese. They were amazingly sweet and became like a second family, only asking for help with some household chores in exchange for a place to stay and the ability to learn Japanese with native speakers. Each and every week, only once, you’d Skype with Spencer and tell him all about your studies and sightseeing. “I wish you could be here,” you’d say, nearly every time you logged off. He would’ve loved it there. But work beckoned him and he loved what he did, so for 52 weeks, you communicated via computer. It was hard, but you’d made it work.

Finally, with a plethora of knowledge, a ton of new memories and even a new language in your head, you flew home, excited to hug Spencer in person. Although you’d had fun and learned much, you had missed him terribly. As you deboarded the plane, you looked around for any sign of him. After a quick scan, you saw him - across the way was your tall, lanky, geeky boyfriend, completely with trademark fluffy hair and a sign that said, “おかえりなさい” or “Welcome home.” The lines on the kanji were shaky, almost like he didn’t know what he was doing, but it came out beautifully.

“Baby!” you screamed, as you ran toward him at full speed, jumping up into his arms and wrapping your legs around his waist. “Oh my god, I’ve missed you!” you exclaimed, starting to cry at the feel of his skin under your fingertips. There was a round of applause from the patrons around you and you gave them a show, covering his face in kisses as you hopped down onto the floor and wrapped your arms around him.

“I’ve missed you too,” he whispered, lightly holding the side of your head in his hand. “How did I do on the sign?” he asked with an adorable smile. “Did I get the kanji right?” 

“Hai,” you replied, in the Japanese accent you managed to perfect while you were over there. “Yes, you did.”

Proudly, Spencer picked up his sign and carried you on his back all the way over to baggage claim, where you were finally able to pick up your bags and return home.

Once you returned to the car, Spencer started asking all about your experiences. Did you regret going? How was the family you stayed with? Would you go again? Would he like it? You spoke so much about the country that had become your home away from home, that you hadn’t even realized where you were going until you were there.

“I figured it’s spring time and you’ve been over there so long that to come back would be a bit weird, so why not ease you in with something you’ve seen a lot of,” he laughed as he saw your smile widen. He’d brought you to the Tidal Basin in Washington DC, a partially man-made reservoir in the capital that was lined with hundreds of cherry blossom trees. Nearly the end of spring, the edges of the water were lined in a blanket of pink petals. 

You started to cry. Although you were glad to be home (you’d missed Spencer and your family terribly), you were going to miss your Japanese family and the country you came to love. The trees were a connection between your two homes - and you knew you’d be here often, in lieu of just flying over to Japan again. “This is beautiful, Spence. Doumo arigatou gozaimasu.”

“Aishiteru,” he replied, in a slightly off accent. “I love you…I’ve missed you so much.”


End file.
